Banksy Reveals His Eighth Piece in Animal-Themed London Collection

Last Monday, August 5th, the artist debuted the first work of the series: a silhouette of a goat standing on a pillar on the side of a building in West London. Two elephants with their trunks reaching out for one another appeared in Chelsea the following day. 

The third piece to be unveiled was made up of three monkeys seemingly swinging across a bridge, followed by a howling wolf on a satellite dish in Peckham. 

Known for intertwining his art with the surrounding environment, Banksy’s fifth and six artworks did just that. Using the sign for a fish and chip shop in North East London, the artist detailed two pelicans catching and eating fish. Similarly, the next piece was of a stretching cat strategically positioned beside a torn-up billboard, likely indicative of a scratching post.

 

 

 

 

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Yesterday's artwork was the first to not be made into a silhouette. Instead, Banksy utilized a police sentry box to create a realistic fish tank housing a school of piranhas. Before receiving confirmation from the artist, police were quick to put up caution tape around the box to investigate the motives behind the design. Since Banksy’s post, a spokesperson from the City of London Corporation stated that they were working on finding the means to preserve the piece.

Unfortunately, not all of the art fared this well. One of the elephants was defaced with white stripes, and the wolf was stolen in broad daylight only a mere few hours after the reveal. The cat was also removed by contracted workers, claiming that it was a safety issue. 

Although there has been no formal statement from the artist, many feel it is safe to believe that today’s rhino will not be the last animal joining this concrete jungle.